Planner Plans for 2017

I've put great thought into what I want to use for 2017 to keep tracking in the right direction toward my goals. I've decided to stick with the planner that I used last year since I've just recently fallen in love with it. It's the Homemaker's Friend Daily Planner, the 2017 version is on sale now, and it comes at a much more affordable price than some of the others that are on the market. I know loads of people that rave about their Erin Condren planners and Plumb Paper planners -- but I just haven't gotten enough use of them in the past to justify the price. 

Introducing some of my ALL time favorite products EVER! These are designed by the amazing ladies from Lara Casey Media. They have so much that just speaks to me. I could literally one one of everything! Cultivate What Matters Shop

I'm ordering this item that is shown below. Today is the first day that it is available, and I can't wait to get my hot little hands on it and get started planning for next year. I've got some big hairy scary goals to accomplish in 2017, and I know that this is the system that will help me get there. (all of these images are links if you see something you want to click on!)

This is the 12 month plan that takes you all the way through 2017 - and it has 176 pages walking you through setting up and deciding what your goals are... then how to break them down in monthly smaller goals to help you reach the larger ones. It has all of the tones of the seasons for the whole year.

She is also coming out with some add on guides for setting goals within your marriage, owning a business, and parenting as well -- those will be out sometime in the spring.


These smaller ones are the 6 month sets that are 110 pages that walk you through the same process as the larger one, just in two separate books. With the 6 month book you'll get to choose between these three cover choices.
I have been a huge fan of the Write the Word Journals from this same shop -- they are amazing! I have the whole set of them, but I believe that they are coming out with some new ones this next spring.
Lara Casey has been an amazing inspiration to me in the later part of this year, and truly - I just think she is outstanding... and she is one Mom that can totally relate to our personal story because she has been living the SAME thing we went through back in 2010 with adoption and having a baby super close together. She also has a weekly Live video session on each Wednesday morning -- and they are incredibly inspirational if you're interested in that as well.

So, I've ordered my Powersheets and an add on book of Stickers -- are you in?

Fall Decor Display

Have I told y'all about how I'm basically a DIY FAIL at every attempt? Well, I FINALLY did it... I created something I'm proud to call my own! You see, I had the hay left from our fall photo session and all of the pumpkins... so I just needed a couple of small additions to make it special.

I bought two more of the $1 plastic pumpkins from the grocery store - they have these everywhere. I cut the handle off of them. If I had it to do all over again, I would have cut the tops off of them before I painted them -- but if you do it this way -- cut just below where the handles fit into the pumpkin.

I cut mine after they were painted, but I bought a can of shiny antiqued nickle or silver spray paint at Lowe's. They also had bronze and several other colors that looked like iron and other metals.

I put them out in our yard on a piece of cardboard, and sprayed them down twice, let them dry and then flipped them over and sprayed the top and inside as best I could.  

This is a close up of the first pumpkin in progress.

Here are both of them after the first coating on the bottom side of the pumpkin. Remember I cut mine after this point and it took us trial and error to find the exact amount to cut off -- it took us 3 cuts on the first one, but I made it just to where the potted flower would fit inside the pumpkin. That way I can take them out and move them after the season is over -- or when I eventually kill them -- throw them out. A green thumb, I am not. 

Here is my final display all set up.

A close up of one of the finished pumpkin planters.

Of course this was ridiculously easy -- and it didn't take much active time -- mostly time for the different coats of paint to dry. After Halloween, I will turn them around until it's time to put up the Christmas decorations! 

Let me know if you decide to make one of your own, and send pictures of what you get set up.

Tyler's Dinosaur Birthday Party

A little over a week ago, our younger son had his 6th birthday party at our house. Tyler was dead set on having a Star Wars party up until about 3 weeks before his party when he changed to a dinosaur party. John had the best time coming up with names for the food and games for the kids to play. 

  

We've been doing Beachbody for a couple of months - so we kept the food on the lighter side for this party, and I think all of our guests were happy with the result. 

We had: dinosaur print cookies, a veggie-saurus tray, herbivore mix (salad),

 and a fruit-ivore tray

We also had:  bronto burgers, pterodactyl burgers, dino dogs, fire & ice (was a raspberry chipolte dip, and Jurassic crunch (make your own trail mix)

 Lastly we had Prehistoric Punch (Sprite, Ginger Ale, Lime sherbet, and pinapple juice), Caveman Brew (iced tea), and Tricera-Toppings for the burgers

My little man's birthday cake

Some of Tyler's guests eating lunch with him

We had a Dino-dig where each of the kids went home with:

 3 dinosaur skeletons, 3 gems, and some seashells.

We had "Pin the Tail on the Dinosaur" which I bought from Etsy.

True story on this was we were going to get it printed from Fed-Ex Kinkos, but they wanted $50 for printing it -- so we got the poster sized print made at Walgreens for a fraction of the cost. It was like $14 vs the $50 from Kinkos! The item from Etsy came with the tails that you could print and write the kids' names on or we used the option to print their names on them... then I laminated them the night before the party. 

Feed the T-Rex toss

My sister in law - Susan - made the Feed the T-Rex Toss game for us, and our niece - Taylor - sewed the bean bags. The kids had a ball feeding the T-Rex, so it was a big hit!

Dino Egg Relay

We let them have a egg & spoon race in teams - they were hilarious! The winning team got  a prize. 

Party Favor Bags

Each of the kids under 12 got: a pencil & eraser set, a tattoo, a couple of dino print cookies, their dino dig spoils, a plastic dinosaur, 2 hatchable dino eggs, and I think that's all. 

The 12 and over crowd - which were my little brother, little sister, and 2 nieces -- got 2 dino print cookies, and a note from Tyler with $5. We didn't think they'd want the toys... but oddly enough the 3 girls -- did leave with some toys because they wanted them too. 

Next up was gift time! 

He got some AMAZING Star Wars Lego sets, Jurassic World Lego sets, Jurassic World toys, Star Wars books/sticker sets, Dinosaur Toys, a remote controlled B-B8, a Magic School Bus Dinosaur experiment kit, and I'm sure some things I forgot to mention. We are so grateful for everyone that came and shared in the day with our special boy!

Lastly, of course we had to sing and have cake -- it was a great time and we are so blessed to be able to celebrate our little man with all of his favorite friends and family.

Yes We Can!

A few of the things I am enjoying right now, but certainly not a sales video -- I just want to share and if it inspires you -- let me know and I'll help you get started or find the things that I use.



Links:

Write the Word Journals: https://laracaseyshop.com/collections/write-the-word -- use the code CULTIVATEFAITH for 20% off

Mom's 5 Second Journal: https://www.amazon.com/Five-Second-Memory-Jou…/…/ref=sr_1_1…

eSalon: https://www.esalon.com/invite/khawkins16

BeachBody: http://www.beachbodycoach.com/kbhawkins00

Strangely Calm

Alright, so I'm a week away from a HUGE cross country move - of which I've never experienced before. I've lived all but 6 months of my life within the borders of the state of Texas... so the mid-south (or whatever) will certainly be a bit of a culture shock. So, you'd think I'd be freaking out and stressing over all of this, right?

Am I in some sort of denial? I don't know... all I know is that I've made some peace with it, and after 6 months (or darn close to it!) of being without my husband for the work week... because he has been working in TN for that long - I'm ready to get this show on the road. Ready for my family to be together. To set some routines. To have a partner in crime again - someone to give me the liberty of a bubble bath after a long day full of whining and fussy babies.

Today has been one of those days, the kind of day where a Momma Hawk needs a break. Or a stiff drink! Since I don't drink... a break is about all I could hope for. I don't know what's going on with the boys today... must be teething issues on both fronts... because they've been equally fussy all day. The only thing that makes them happy is a meal and a nap. Even at that - they both were in bed for the night at 7... but I've had to go and put them both back to bed after each of them waking up crying at one point over the last couple of hours. Poor kids - I wish teething didn't have to be so miserable for everyone.

All of that being said - this motherhood gig can be tough. I've now experienced just about most of the world of parenting options - I've done the working mother gig, the stay at home mom gig, and essentially the single parent gig... and just for the record - John hates it when I say that. I'm most certainly not single... BUT Monday through Friday since January - I've been doing it on my own... so I know what it is like to raise kiddos without a partner for at least part of the time.

I for the life of me can't see any of the options as being easier than the other. It's all tough, totally worth it... but tough. If you're working - you've got to rely on someone trustworthy to take care of the kiddos during the day while you do the 9-5 job... but then you have to go home and do all of the parenting, cooking, cleaning, and anything else.

Staying at home might seem to some as the easy way out - but there are no sick days, no vacation days... a lot of sweat and tears... crying and sometimes you just long for another adult to talk to for a few minutes. Sure, you have your family as your sole focus... which is a beautiful thing... but it can be equally as hard as working outside of the home.

Good Lord, single parenting is just rough any way you look at it. Presumably most single parents would have to work outside of the home... then go home and be both mother and father to the kids.

Parenting is tough no matter the situation, but boy is it rewarding. Not exactly what I expected, but a wonderful adventure that I'm so ready to share day to day with my husband again. So for that reason, I'm ready for all of this. And it doesn't hurt that they're sending me a crew to pack up the house... and then I've got a crew meeting me on the other side to help with the unpacking as well. Praise the Lord!

The Story of Bob

 

That is Bob.

Bob decided yesterday to make a grand move from downtown Houston to the suburbs - Cypress to be exact. He hopped on with us at John's office building, and rode with us to Cypress.

He is a tough little guy because he managed to hang on to the window going 60 miles an hour on the HOV lane for 20+ miles... and through that we bonded a little bit. I sort of wondered if I picked him back up this morning if I could have driven the HOV with him as my second passenger... and if I brought his brother out with me this evening if that would count as well. (not likely since someone tried to claim a blow up doll as their second passenger and that didn't qualify)

Anyway, back to Bob.

He hung on for dear life for the trip from the city to the suburbs... and brought about this conversation and ensuing hilarity upon our arrival to Cypress.

John: "Do you want that thing to jump on you when you open the door to get the boys?"
Me: "No, but I was scared to crack the window to get him off because if he flew in the car - we'd have a serious wreck because I'd flip out."
(Bob was still on the window taunting me... and surely laughing)
John: "Well, lets try to get him off at the light."

I rolled down the window at said light... and Bob didn't budge. At least until I started rolling the window up... at which point he jumped inside the car... and caused a lot of screaming and flailing. I didn't know where he went, but then found him on my door inside the car... and of course the light turned green right as Bob jumped on to the STEERING WHEEL... and from there he proceeded to find his way over to John's side of the car. Much more screaming and lots of laughter came... and we had to pull over into the driveway of the high school in the middle of the street...

Upon opening the car door - Bob was spotted on the passenger seat, and was beaten with a spare baby bib that was in the car. We don't really know what happened to Bob after that - my happy place is that he is happily living in the area with the ducks and the pond... or reeking havoc with the high school girls there in Cy Ranch High School.

After much more laughter - bringing on tears - we continued on our way to get the boys. Just before we reached Miss Amanda's house though John caught a glimpse of a shadow and thought Bob had reappeared which spawned more laughter and more shrieking.

When we got to Amanda's - I got out to get the boys while John thoroughly inspected every inch of the car... no Bob was found... and we went on about our lives.

You just CAN'T make this stuff up!

Another Day, Another Lesson Learned

Sometimes, ok... it's really an indisputable fact of life... people are going to let you down. Some more than others, to be sure - but people are human and it's just going to happen - intentionally and unintentionally. Knowing this however doesn't take the sting out of it when it happens.

There do happen to be some groups that sting more than others, and there in lies my frustration. To be fair, I am VERY bad at accepting help 99.9% of the time. I don't turn it down when it shows up at my door and can't be denied, but when I can tell you not to worry about it... I will. I can't help it - I just don't want to inconvenience anyone and just about everyone I know has bigger and better things to do than come help little old me.

That being said, there are some basic things that can be done for people even when you don't have time to physically be there. You can just send an email to say "I'm thinking about you" or "Wondering how you're doing" - just something to let someone know that you care. I think that is within most of our ability... because honestly - sometimes that's really the best way to help. To let someone know you're out there thinking about them and that you understand what they're going through is difficult.I think that's true in any situation - because how many times have we all thought and/or said, "I know words won't help take away your pain or struggle, but I'm here nonetheless."

I haven't ever made a big move like I'm about to do at a time when the rest of my peer group wasn't doing just the same - basically my big "moves" have been around graduation from high school and college. The rest of the time - I've stayed really local... which doesn't cause many ripples in the social life.

This time - there are big waves happening, and it's sad to see how people really sort of write you off from the moment the move is announced. Now, not everyone - for sure... but it is an interesting dynamic that happens. Especially while you wait for the move to happen - because this period of limbo is truly FOR THE BIRDS! It's hard to be in the middle - not yet leaving and not yet arriving. There is no getting on with life. There is no getting settled in a new normal. There isn't even a time frame for it to happen.

It's tough. It's even tougher when people you care about come under attack and they aren't the ones leaving. Some dear friends of ours got some unsettling news recently, and I'm sad for them... betrayed for them... and just plain hurt for them. Will they be alright in the end, sure. Probably better off... but that doesn't take the sting out of either of our situations. I hope that the people that have caused these hurts and let others of us down will prayerfully learn from their actions, and just try their hardest to do better next time.

No one is perfect, we all make mistakes. Sometimes though... we need to "practice what we preach" - so to speak. I know that before James and Tyler came along - I was better about this myself... the reaching out and letting everyone know that I care - unfortunately right now, I'm in a season where I need it more than I can give it. Sadly, it's also a time where our lives are changing yet again in another major way... it's a lot of change within roughly 1 year - give or take depending on when we actually move. Every bit of the change is worth it, and I wouldn't change a thing... I love my boys more than I could ever put into words... and I know that our move to Memphis will be an adventure that will change us for the better in ways I can't imagine yet. I'm just ready for the adventure to start and to stop being in this sometimes painful cycle of limbo.

Low Points

Almost another week has passed me by... but I have to say that I won't miss this one much. This has been a tough one for this 'ol Momma. I woke up on Monday morning not feeling right - I couldn't shake it, and decided that there just wasn't enough in me to make it to the office.

I dropped the boys off at the sitter's house and came back home - was back in bed by 7AM and didn't wake up until 12:30... was up for an hour and felt completely ready to go back to bed! I made an appointment to see my doctor on Tuesday, and then I suffered through the evening and over night hours.

I went in to the office Tuesday morning for 2 hours before my appointment - I'm closer to his office there than I am at home, and it got me on the good side of traffic. When I saw him - he diagnosed me with the flu - UGH! He told me to go home and get in bed... and that I wouldn't be returning to work until Monday. Swell.

Thank goodness for Ms. Amanda, and her taking care of the boys for me during the day this week - because I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have her. I've literally been asleep 90% of the time that the boys have been with her this week, and I don't think I've gotten that kind of sleep since before James was born!

I'm starting to see the better side of this mess, but while this is going on - the boys are both presumably teething. I can fairly safely say that James IS teething... I can feel some swollen spots on the top... two of them that he's let me feel. Which will give him 6 teeth on the top and 2 on the bottom. Last night was rough going putting him to bed... poor guy. He literally screamed for 45 minutes before he passed out in my arms and I was able to give him his bedtime bottle. I took him up to his bed and he never moved until time to get up this morning. He may also be going through another growth spurt - because he's been spending a LOT of  time sleeping this week too... lots of long naps, early to bed...

Thankfully - other than last night - he's been incredibly sweet, smiley, and cuddly this week. I just love my little man - more than he'll ever know.

With Tyler its harder to tell what's going on... he seems to be biting down like he might be getting ready to sprout some teeth, but there doesn't seem to be any swollen spots or signs of actual teeth. Just a tiny man biting the snot out of anything you'll put in his mouth. He's been a little fussier than normal... and is having some diaper issues. So, I feel like those are signs of something happening in his mouth - even without actual teeth. James went through something like this - where he had all the signs but it was about a month or so later that we actually had teeth to show for it.

Ty is also having some sleep issues. I'm at the end of my rope with this one too. I don't know what to do for him... but I've tried several things. I've tried putting him to bed earlier... I've tried giving him oatmeal instead of rice cereal... I've tried begging... nothing works. This kid takes a 6 ounce bottle with a tablespoon of cereal in it around 8 - I swaddle him and put him to bed. He is then up at 12AM for a full 4 ounce bottle, and 3AM for another full 4 ounce bottle... he's trying to kill me!!

It's been like this for 2 weeks now... and I don't know what else to do. With James we could typically give him his pacifier back in the middle of the night and he'd be fine, but Tyler won't take a pacifier for anything! I've told him that I might have to let the wolves raise him if he doesn't figure this sleep thing out... but of course he calls my bluff every night. If only he weren't so darn cute and cuddly the rest of the time. He is pretty easy going, but he definitely won't let you push him into doing something he doesn't want to do... he just has his own way of standing his ground which is a little more passive than James was.

That's pretty much our week in a nutshell... I'm just trying to hang on and take it one step at a time... but I'm still only running on 1/2 strength.

Have I mentioned that I am REALLY ready to get this move on the road... this living in limbo thing is making me nuts! I need a plan, a goal, and some steps to be checking off my list to feel like this is going to happen at some point instead of us just putting our lives on hold. It sort of in a way feels like our fertility treatment days - when everything in our lives was planned around the possibility of us getting pregnant each month. Only - we don't even have that much to plan around. Hmphf.

Reflections

A very dear family lost their patriarch on Monday, and today we celebrated his life. It was truly a beautiful service, with lots of family and friends. But I wanted to take a minute to sort of process through some things, so bare with me.

This is a picture of the M family and as you can see Adam not only is the center of the photo - he was the center of their family. One of those men that left people inspired. The pastor that we shared said it best on Monday when he said that Adam inspired him to be a better family man. Adam never met a stranger - and invited everyone he encountered to be a part of anything that he was doing.

The flag at his feet in the photo represents his son that recently passed away as well... and he's holding his grandson that never met his father... this family has gone through a LOT in the last year... and have done it with amazing grace and courage. Grace and courage, in fact that I don't see in myself. I found myself watching Dawn this morning while she was caring for her children and thought about how incredibly beautiful she is inside and outside...

I also was reminded of my own little mini-breakdown last night where in a moment of frustration - I sort of got crabby that I hadn't been able to find time to eat dinner because the boys were so needy... and then it hit me. Life could be so incredibly different. In an instant. A blink of an eye. What I am frustrated by in a moment of weakness - could not be there. Plain and simple... 10 months ago - I was praying that God would grace me with these children, how in any moment can I see that as a burden or complain for an fleeting moment that my exhaustion or hunger should take precedence?

Right now, I'm getting a taste of what it is like to be a single parent... and while I can't say that I am enjoying it... the fact remains that it is temporary. For Dawn, it is her new reality.

I watched their beautiful children - ages 10, 8, 7 and 3 - say goodbye to their father until we are all in heaven together again... and I found myself viewing it from a whole different perspective - as I do with so much of life now. It could be any one of us sitting where Dawn was today, and needing to comfort our own children through this loss. Could I do it? I don't know. Certainly not with the grace and poise that I saw in her. If you can imagine - she also looked incredibly beautiful - almost like there was a light from heaven surrounding her... of course for me, I'd love to think that it was Adam holding her and helping her get through the day.

John sang today - "I Can Only Imagine" and "There Will Be a Day"  - very beautiful and emotional songs... click the links to see the original artists music videos of each song. I took a short video of him during the sound check...

I say all of this to try to remind us all to not take any moment for granted. Love with all of your heart. Live IN  the moment... not 1/2 there and 1/2 on your phone... be all there. Know that every moment offers a memory - that someone in your life will cling to someday when you're not there anymore. We all will leave this Earth at some point - that isn't within our power... not to control, to know when, or to know how... - BUT we can control right now and the memories we leave behind. The legacy we leave behind.

I know that Adam leaves an incredible legacy... I can only hope that I do someday as well.

Walking in Memphis

If you haven't entered my Lovey Dovey Giveaway... shake your tail feathers and get entered!!

Before we get into the reason I named the post as I did... I had to show you my two newest favorite photos on the planet...

James playing in his crib... this is a prime example of him spitting a pacifier and grabbing a new fresh one!

Tyler (aka Tiner) sitting in Daddy's recliner... looking A LOT like my Dad!

Alright... so shall we get to the purpose of the post? Well... The Hawkins family is moving to Memphis, TN!! Why you might ask... well John got a promotion!! YAY! We are thrilled that he's finally getting the recognition that he deserves, and the chance to stretch his legs managing a team of folks. 

We are both excited and sad to be embarking on this opportunity. On one hand - it's a GREAT opportunity professionally... AND I'll likely get to stay home with the boys... at the most I'd need to work part-time - hence the Stella & Dot thing. (Help a girl out, yo!) On the other hand, however... we're leaving our families... some of which just moved back after being away for 12 years (my Dad)... leaving all of our friends and our church family. So our support system will be 10 hours away... which is scary and sad. We will get through it - somehow - likely stronger and for the better.

Our new home will allow us to take a gander at some of these things... 

a gorgeous bridge...

Memphis in May BBQ Festival! (John is thrilled!)

Graceland

The Peabody Ducks... have you heard of them? So cute! 

They are these ducks that live during the day in the fountain located in the hotel lobby...and at various times - they bring out a red carpet... march them into the elevator and take them to the "penthouse" (aka the roof) where the live the rest of the time. HOW FUN! I can't wait to take the boys! 

A cool looking pyramid... which I think is a museum or something

 The skyline

 Beale Street

River Boats!

Also not pictured:

A fabulous zoo

and a great looking Children's Museum

So anyway - for the next several months... things are going to be crazy because it's a series of being a single parent... and not. Sort of a BIG lesson in "going with the flow", but we'll get through it and be on a big adventure for a couple of years. 

This just means that I might have some pretty funny stories coming because with my days being sooo long and full... I'm sure I'll do some crazy things. So stay tuned!

Neighbors

I'm still struggling to find some balance... so please do bear with me. Not only have I stopped using the computer at home, but for some reason this week has been extremely busy for me at the office - I've had to design a new report for my boss to use to meet with some of our board members... and lets just say that I've needed to learn some serious accounting skills for this one!

It's no secret that we have some bizarre neighbors... and for the price we paid for our house... it's a little bit concerning to me. I mean we bought this house in THAT neighborhood to avoid people like this... ugh!

The people across the street - the ones with the kid that thought his fireworks show should go from 2AM to 3AM... are just the worst possible scenario when it comes to neighbors. They are the ones that - shortly after we moved in - had one of their dogs try to attack us... which of course started a war of words. Their other dog is a pitbull that would kill anything just walking down the street if it could get to it.

When the dog in question tried to attack us... it wasn't like he was out just in their front yard... they are on the corner - and this dog was in their back yard... when we heard a huge crack - and a fence board flying... he literally ran at the fence and busted through with his HEAD! I just keep waiting for the news trucks to come out because these dogs have hurt someone. The scariest part for me is that the corner of their house happens to be the bus stop for all the kids on our street as well... the kids have moved to the other side of the corner... but still - it is just too close.

We've lived in our house for almost two years now... the dog incident happened maybe a month after we moved in... and since that time - the kid seemed to have become a decent human being - that is until the 4th of July... but we do have a theory that he might have been drunk... who knows.

He has come over and helped John put mulch out in our yard... and offered to help with the lawn... neither of which will ever happen again... but just made us think that they were becoming normal members of society.

That is until I started noticing something...

You see in Houston right now - the temperature is roughly hanging in around 106 degrees everyday... which means to all of you that haven't experienced the heat and humidity that we have... it is MISERABLE. HOT. STICKY. All of which makes you seek air conditioning... I mean it's like a race to figure out exactly how quickly you can get from one air conditioned place to another... with as little time in between as possible.

Our neighbors though - spend literally ALL of their waking time in their garage... they have it set up like a freaking living room. They keep the door halfway open... and sit in there all the time. What is up with that?! Are they living so far outside of their means that they can't afford to turn on the air conditioning? Are they pod people? How can they stand it?

This isn't the first time we've experienced something like this either - we once lived across the hall from some people in an apartment that had literally 10 kids... a Cadillac Escalade... and ZERO furniture in their apartment.

Are we just crazy neighbor magnets? I mean I haven't even TOLD you about the people around the corner... that HAVE to be renters... because I can't imagine paying $200,000 for a house... and letting it look like that... I mean literally everything in their front yard, side yard... and probably back yard too has died. Not just browned because of the heat - like the rest of us... but literally DIED... like crispy - snap it in two - died. We've been meaning to call the Home Owners Association... but haven't gotten around to it yet.

So that's our neighbors in a nutshell... what are yours like?

Fireworks

So, okay... it's been a while since I've posted... basically - lets just say that I needed a break. I've been feeling like the computer was sucking me in more and more... and this week I've felt more like it was the enemy. My desire to use the computer when I'm at home in the evenings has completely vanished... because I want to be present and fully aware in my time that I have to spend with John.

Our 4th of July was good - we spent a good portion of the day with his family cooking and watching Fireproof. Susan, my sister-in-law, made a 7 layer dip decorated with a flag on top. It took a while, and I did a lot of heckling... but in the end it was very cute. Sour cream made the white stripes, tomatoes and salsa made the red stripes, olives served as the background for a sprinkling of cheese for the stars.

We made it home before dark, so that the dogs wouldn't freak out over the fireworks... at which point - our neighbors go COMPLETELY nuts. Since we're dealing with a SEVERE drought - you'd think people would be smarter than they are... but at least in our neighborhood - they aren't. We went to bed around 10:30... and by midnight the fireworks had slowed enough for us to doze off a little bit. There was the occasional firework between then and 2... at which point the kid across the street from us went crazy.

We're talking about fireworks beyond anything that I've ever seen or heard before. Long obnoxious strings of blackcats that would continue popping for a couple of minutes at a time. I mean just one right after the other... John went outside to ask him to stop - since we had to get up for church at 5:30 this morning. The kid was his typically rude self - so we ended up calling the police. We finally went back to bed at 3... for what could only be called a nap.

At that point John got up for church... and I got up to get some things done around the house. I knew that if I didn't try to focus my energy right then - I'd end up getting absolutely nothing done all day today. I opted to attend the second service at church... and surprisingly got quite a bit done. Which awarded us the ability to lay around and relax for the rest of the day.

So lets just say that if fireworks were to never exist... I'd be okay with that. I don't need to explode things in the air to honor the Independence Day for my country - and show my patriotism. Unfortunately, the fireworks make me NOT look forward to this holiday... and New Year's is even worse. UGH! I mean people ought to save their money instead of spending it on something so silly. Why don't they just take their hundred dollar bill and light IT on fire?!

Hopefully I'll be back this week blogging more regularly... whatever I can get done during the day at the office will have to suffice - because I'm sticking to the extremely limited (if at all) use of the computer in the evenings.